V
Weekend
"Good day to you Ueda-san," Mei bowed as she greeted Yuka at the entrance to the Inn, "It is nice to see you again, may I ask how you are doing?"
"Good day to you to Mei-chan." Yuka graciously bowed in return, it was nice to see her again as it had been some time since the last of Mayu's friends had come along with her for a visit.
"Thank you for asking, we are doing fine. How is it going with you and your family?"
Mei grew silent for the moment. "Well uhm… we are managing it for now. It isn't going so well between my parents… they are considering a divorce…"
Mayu was startled at hearing this revelation; this was something that her friend hadn't yet shared with her. It sounded so odd as the last time she had gone over to meet her parents they had all seemed like a happy family. Where had this sudden break up come from?
"M-Mei-san…" Mayu gasped as she held her hand before her mouth. "I am so sorry. I didn't know… I should have been there for you…"
"Don't…" Mei mentioned as she saw the effect the news had on them. "You couldn't have known as my parents are putting a lot of effort in keeping this down, they don't want people to find out as it has something to do with oka-san's work."
"We will be here if in case you should ever need us. If you want, you can come inside though it can't be for long as we have preparations to make for tomorrow and-"
She was interrupted as Mei seemed to have recovered from her earlier silence. "Oh that is right, Mayu-chan told me that the family with the cute twins are coming to visit. It's the cute twins right or am I mistaken?"
Both Mayu and Yuka couldn't help but giggle at her question. "Yes, it's them alright but we are not sure if they can go out like the last time you visited, would it be alright if I let Mayu-chan give you their answer at school tomorrow as I believe they will be coming this night already."
And there was another surprise just being dropped on her lap. Mayu hadn't even been aware that the twins would be coming earlier. She had hoped for at least one more night of being able to study but if the twins were going to be here, then she could forget about it. Well Ryou wasn't a problem she admitted, no the real culprit always turned out to be Kyou.
"Mei-san, care to do some homework together, we still have some time left or do you have to be home now?"
She seemed to sulk at giving an answer. It did make sense that she was a bit hesitant about going on with what was going on there, no doubt Mei would more prefer to be somewhere else but wouldn't it also lead to making the situation becoming even tenser?
"If I'm not a burden to your family then I wouldn't mind. Besides, I doubt anybody would be at home right now. They seem to be more pre-occupied with their work anyway these days. So it is not like there will be anybody waiting for me to come back and my little sister will be going to our uncle and aunt."
"Would that be alright with you Yuka-san? Would it be alright for Mei-chan to do some homework with me? I will come and help out in the kitchen once we are done."
Yuka rested a hand on her shoulder. "No need for that Mayu-chan, you just go and do your homework and after that have some fun. I will ask if either Nana-chan or Saeko-chan could help me out instead."
"Oh! Nana-chan!" Mei yelled with excitement. "I haven't seen her in a long time, she wasn't here the last time I visited. Come on Mayu-chan, let's go inside and finish that homework first. After that, I want to play with Nana-chan!" Mei almost stormed inside, dragging Mayu along with her while leaving Yuka back at the entrance just laughing and smiling.
Well, that was going to become something if Mei was still going to be here when Kyou and Ryou got here as well but it was also a good way for them to interact more with other people. Mei had been one of those people that they could trust with knowing about the horns.
That said, she was kept out of knowing what those horns really meant or what it enabled the girls to do with their other more special hands. Mei could be trusted but the question they had all asked themselves before was if she could be trusted that much.
Inside the house he could hear some commotion and for the moment he was already fearing that Kyou had already gotten inside. Looking at the clock, he cursed, seeing that she had come way too early. Well... there wasn't much he could do about it now. He had better start to clean up his stuff and go meet them fast unless he wanted for her to have her way and go through some of his belongings. "Just a little bit longer and I would have been finished with this…"
Sighing, he closed the door behind him as he walked down the hallway. Any moment now she would come running round the corner and likely tackle him head on. He really wasn't looking forward to that, but Kyou was Kyou after all and there would be no changing to her attitude.
Stopping, he figure this might as well be as good as spot to get himself ready for the inevitable collision, already he could fully picture himself lying there on the floor with her sitting on him given him the innocent look while calling him onii-chan.
He still had some scratches from the last time that happened, thank god Yuka had been foresighted enough to make sure that their first aid kit was well stocked and supplied. It was then with as much surprise as it was with delight as he noticed that it was Mayu and one of her friends from school.
With a huge sigh of relief he greeted them but as seeing they were getting themselves ready to do homework, he quickly left them to their own devices. It would be better if they could focus first on the homework and not get distracted by anything else. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a quick peek in the kitchen, or at the very least get something to drink as his throat was starting to feel dry.
"You seem worried," Yuka commented as she noticed him standing there. "Don't tell me you got all scared of a sudden thinking that it would be her did you?"
Getting all red in his face Kouta didn't know what to say. "Well… ehm… I… ehm… uhm…" Oh how much he would give for getting an escape from this. The way Yuka was eyeing him wasn't good either, he needed a way out and he needed it fast or else she was going to keep on taunting him.
"Still scared of cute little Kyou-chan are we?" Yuka was getting ever closer. "You know that she is going to come over today right? Should I ask her to make a special visit to you when she arrives? Would you like for that instead?" Oh the smile was about as devious as the one that Kyou so often had when she was thinking of something.
"Y-Yuka, don't you dare to look at me like that. You're up to something aren't you!?"
"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not. Would you like it for me to be up to something? Would you prefer for it to be something a little naughty?" She began to giggle as she slightly squinted her yes, tapping her chin with her index finger she leaned slightly forward.
"Knock it off Yuka. You know how I feel about such things and besides you know perfectly well how I feel about Kyou-chan and those habits of her. Don't get me wrong but there are some days that I would rather not have her being here."
She shook her head at hearing that. "She can be very impulsive, dare I say perhaps even worse than Nyu-chan was at certain points in her-" She had blabbed the words before she had even realized it and it led to a sudden and painful silence between the two of them. Understanding what she had just blurted and seeing the effect it was having on him Yuka was all too quick to apologize to him. "Ah I'm sorry Kouta, I really didn't mean it like that. I'm so sorry for having said that."
By now her own face was turning bright red from an equal mix of shame and feeling really stupid. He kept being silent and part of her started to wonder if he would be mad at her for having said those words, would it give him a reason to hate her, would he be disgusted by it? His hand raised.
"Don't, I know you didn't mean it like that. Besides, it is not like she can come back now, can she? I'm the one who killed her, if anyone should be apologizing it should be me, not you."
"B-But Kouta… You did what you had to do, she was in so much pain back then that there was no other choice right? You didn't have any other choice…"
He found it difficult to swallow after that. The lump stuck in his throat had to be enormous if it was making it so hard for him. Why of all the things did she had to say that, there had been a choice for him. There has always been a choice but he had been so foolish to believe their words about being able to see each other.
Blinking away a tear, he left the kitchen and slowly headed back towards his own room, he wasn't in the mood anymore for pretty much anything else. Right now he just wanted to have a moment to be alone though when he got to his room, he froze.
No, this would not be the way that either Nyu or Kaede would have wanted for him to lead his life, getting sad and depressed anything somebody mentioned either or both of them. Perhaps it would be better not to take refuge in his room but rather discuss it with them, looking over his shoulder there would be a better place for him to mourn. After that, he would go and see Yuka as he couldn't keep doing this on his own, he needed the love and support of others as well.
"OTO-SAN GET OUT!" Kyou yelled at the top her lungs as she virtually catapulted Dai out of the room. "STAY AWAY FROM MY STUFF! I PACK MY OWN CLOTHES! NOW GET OUT OF MY ROOM! GO DO SOMETHING ELSE NOW!"
With a loud bang, the door to her room was slammed shut, leaving Dai moaning as he felt his back aching from the impact, apparently he either had to have landed the wrong way or he was starting to get too old for this. "Dammit Kyou… oh damn that hurts," he cursed.
"My, my, my." Mako was standing next to him. "What on earth did you do to make poor Kyou-chan have an outburst like that?" She was clearly taunting him with that remark.
Grunting and protesting, he got back on his feet. "Not all that much to be honest, I was just trying to help her by packing some extra clothes for her and I just got to the closet when she went all angry at me. She started to yell and scream and the next thing I know, I'm lying here on the hallway. Damn... just when I thought I had forgotten how it felt to get hit by a vector."
Mako smiled. "So I guess she is starting to become more like a teenager instead of still being a child, apparently she no longer wants us to help or see some of her more personal items."
Dai looked confused. "This isn't about her underwear is it? I mean we have all seen her-."
He took a deep breath before he continued. "I have seen her naked on more occasions than I could actually care for, that girl has no reservations about showing off her body-"
"And yet she clearly doesn't want to have you touching her bras and panties anymore. Face it Dai, she is starting to become a teenager and I was the same at that age. Just accept it, neither her nor Ryou-chan are going to remain little girls forever."
He gave in. "Yeah I guess you're right but it is hard to tell with them, their minds haven't fully caught up with their bodies but given that I can't really see it happening so soon already…"
"Just let it go, they will mature at their own pace. Now, why don't you go and get some other stuff packed? I will see if I can talk to her and you had also better be prepared to say that you are sorry for just packing her stuff. I know you don't have any ill intentions but that is not how she saw it."
"Just great…" He grumbled in response to hearing her say that. "First I got chewed up by Bando, then thrown out of the room by Kyou-chan and now I'm getting lectured by you. Could this get any worse?"
"That will depend on how Ryou-chan sees it. If she shares the same thoughts as her sister then you might get into trouble with them both. But she is more timid about expressing her disagreement. So just leave the girls to me and you get the other stuff ready. Now go."
"What's with the hurry all of a sudden?"
Mako raised one her eyebrows. "It is because Saori-chan is sick, I promised to get there as quickly as I can but unless things go smoothly here I can't even pack what I need to check her. So get going and let the girls do their thing while I get my equipment ready."
Well, that settled it for him, there was just no way he was going to be able to give his own opinion on the matter and certainly with the apparent haste that Mako was in to get to the inn he dropped it. If it was true that Saori had gotten ill then she was going to need all of the time she needed to prepare herself as Saori was the most difficult patient she ever had. He didn't envy her as she left at all as the little girl was scary and a sight to behold if she was in a particular foul mood. She would lash out at everyone and anything that annoyed her or vexed her at that point.
Desperate moments that had led to rather desperate measures as she was being kept on a near constant stage of being numbed, preventing the usage of her vectors but for how long could they keep resorting to it before Saori would learn of a way to counter that. Luckily, her mind was still trying to wrap itself around the world the girl was living in and with the poor mental and emotional state it would likely take a long while before she could finally could think of a way, at least that was what he was praying for.
"Yeah, let's just hope she won't get too smart too fast otherwise we will all be in trouble when she gets her next tantrum. Guess I should get packing as well, the quicker that matter is resolved the better for us." Shaking away such thoughts he went to grab those things that neither of the girls would mind or object to.
She did have a point, he had to admit, with what she had said earlier. These girls were really starting to grow up and if they were now actually starting to feel embarrassed about their parents either seeing them naked or their underwear then they were likely starting to become teenagers. Thinking about it, he was starting to feel really old all of a sudden.
"Kids these days really grow up way too fast, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give them some more space. If they are becoming teenagers then I guess the house is going to become way too small for them."
Diclonius were difficult to live with but not impossible but even so it certainly came with its own hardships.
Out alone in the garden, Saeko sat there on the ground, all huddled up. She didn't care for her skirt getting dirty. No, what she really cared for now was to help her little sister but until her aunt was to show up there wasn't much that she could do and for the time being she was actually being kept away from her by Nana and Yuka or at least so it felt to her. Her tears fell on the soft ground, looking at them she wondered for how long she had been crying. For that matter how long had she been out here all by herself?
"I want my little sister to get better. I want for her to get the same chance at a life as I was given. Why can't master be here and help her like he did for me?" Sighing, she wondered why life couldn't have carried on like it had. Honestly, her life would have been so much better if he had been there. "Nyu-san would have been alive… Saori-chan would be better and I wouldn't be bullied…"
But as much as she wanted it, there was just no chance of it ever coming to be. Perhaps it would be better if she stopped deluding herself any further by keeping on wishing for time to turn back, was it foolish or her or was she being selfish. "…Master would know what to do."
From behind her, a noise caught her attention and pulled her away from her thoughts. Turning around, she could see that it was Kouta coming out of the house. She wondered briefly if the others were actually looking for her but as he walked towards a certain spot in the garden she understood that he was going to see Nyu.
"Is Kouta-san really going to see her… is he feeling sad again… I guess he must be really missing her. I understand Kouta-san… I know what it is to miss a loved one… I miss…"
Seeing him squatting down in the far corner, she could hear him say words and kept his voice down which made it difficult for her to understand exactly what he was saying but she did know that was just in front of the small memorial they had made for Nyu following her cremation.
"Good evening everybody," Nozomi announced as she opened the front door, it was a bit later than she had expected to arrive but it would be better to arrive late than not arrive at all.
"Ah Nozomi-chan." Yuka came forward already to greet her. "It is so nice to see you, how is your father doing? Is he still being kept at the hospital?"
"Hai, sensei considered it better for him to get plenty of rest and not put too much stress on his leg. Now that there isn't much for me to do at home, I decided to come over and spend the weekend with you. Oto-san would have wanted that I have fun."
"And he is right, don't worry too much about him. Your father is a proud man but deep inside he knows when it is better to listen to somebody else, you eventually got through to him right?"
"True, but even so, I can't stop being worried. What if something were to go wrong? I just don't like it with him being there, that is all." Hanging up her coat, she followed Yuka to the hallway as she started to explain why she wasn't entirely comfortable.
Noticing the odd look in Yuka's eyes, she asked her what was wrong. "You seem worried, is there something else going on here that I should be concerned about?"
Yuka quickly waved her hand. "Ah, it is nothing. Actually, it is something as I'm waiting for Takebe-san to arrive as Saori-chan got sick again, she has a high fever. Takebe-san promised to come here as fast as she could but I am getting a little impatient I have to admit."
"I guess that would make both of us be in the same boat then does it not, Yuka-san?"
Yuka had to laugh at hearing her say that. Yeah, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to follow the same advice that she had given Nozomi.
"Well, if you need something like I do to take your mind off it then I could use some help in the kitchen, I am having a bit too much work and sadly none of the girls can help me with it."
"Oh that is right, Hirano-san and his family are coming over this weekend isn't it?" Nozomi asked as she remembered it. "Well if it would be okay with you then I wouldn't mind helping you, besides I think it would be fun to spend some time together in the kitchen. We haven't really been able to do so lately."
Yuka already had a second apron in her hands. "Well then be my guest, I'm glad to have you with us for the weekend and so will the girls."
Getting herself ready, Nozomi followed her into the kitchen and already she could tell that Yuka had been very busy as it just smelled wonderful inside. "You have been pretty busy."
"Yep, given the girls have a big appetite, I thought I would make certain that we would have plenty of food. I just hope the weather will stay nice outside and Kouta can work the barbeque this time without burning the food like the last time."
That was something Nozomi sadly hadn't witnessed for herself as she hadn't been able to visit them the last time the Hirano's had come over to visit. Back then, she had to attend a very important session with her teachers. "I hope he didn't burn himself, did he?"
"Kouta was fine though I think his pride might have taken a blow back then, we had to order some other food but at least we got to have a pleasant night."
"Man, why do we keep getting such difficult material? I'm telling you the sensei hates us. Otherwise, she would not make us go through this," Mei moaned as she closed her book and reached for the glass of water. "I'm done with homework anyway, what about you?"
Closing her book in response, Mayu was distracted until Mei gave a gently nudge in her side. "Say Mayu-chan, can I ask you something personal? Something that is a bit embarrassing, you know? Something you would rather not discuss unless you could really trust a person."
"Eh?" She was unprepared for that. For that matter, what could it possibly be that Mei wanted to ask her? Then again, given how she acted around boys, Mayu started to think that it would be related to that, but what if she was going to ask if she had a crush on somebody.
"Sure, Mei-san, but I don't know if I have the right answer for you." Mayu noticed how Mei shook her head, it made her all the more confused as what did she mean by that.
"I don't really expect an answer from you, just listening to it would already be fine for me, besides I don't think I would be ready for an answer to it just yet…" She sighed before taking a deep breath as if she was trying to calm her nerves.
Mayu felt a bit puzzled as Mei had never seemed like the kind of person to become nervous. She never seemed hesitant when it came asking the odd question to people, even if they were complete strangers. She wondered what it could be that was making her friend nervous.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Mayu asked as she looked at the empty glass standing there. "Is there something else I could get you in the meantime?"
"It's okay, I just…" She paused for a moment and Mayu could see that her face was starting to turn bright red. "Oh this is so embarrassing but can you please keep this yourself? I don't want this person to find out about it just yet as I'm scared what they might think of me."
"Mei-san…" Mayu grabbed her hand as she could see it tremble. "D-Don't tell me? C-Could it actually be that you might have feelings or possibly like Aki-kun, do you?"
Mei shot up straight faster than an arrow. "EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! DON'T SAY SOMETHING THAT STUPID! OH GOD TO THINK YOU WOULD IMAGINE HIM TO!? PLEASE DON'T EVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!"
"Sorry, I just thought that given you and him have known each other since kindergarten that the two of you…" Mayu grew silent all of a sudden. She wasn't sure what to make of this but if it wasn't Aki then who else was it and was it even somebody that she knew at all.
"Mayu-chan, just please never make such a suggestion again. I do not find him attractive at all. In fact I don't find any boy attract-" Mei clamped down hard suddenly as her face got even more red. "Forget what you just heard! Never mind any of it! Just forget this whole discussion alright! Please forget I ever said anything, alright!" Appearing to be in some kind of shock or feeling ashamed, Mei was already frantically packing her books and items cramming them quickly in her schoolbag.
"Mei-san, please stop. I'm sorry if I hurt you or made you feel ashamed. Please don't run away like this, I'm going to get worried if you do." Reaching out quickly she grabbed her hand as she did her best to prevent Mei from leaving the room. "I'm really sorry Mei-san."
She relented as she saw the look in her eyes. With a deep sigh, she stopped trying to get away from her. "No. I am the one who should be apologizing, I shouldn't have bothered you with this. I'm the one who be apologizing to you instead." Getting down on her knees, Mei almost threw herself onto the floor. "I'm really sorry, Mayu-chan…"
Mayu lunged forward the moment Mei got back up and grabbed her in a tight embrace, sobbing as she let her know that as one of her best friends she would always forgive her. Seeing her like this, Mei could do little more than start to cry herself.
"Takebe-san! Please come in, we have been expecting you," Nozomi greeted as she opened the door. Seeing Mako standing there, she gracefully bowed.
"Ah you must be Sawa-san, I have heard a lot about you." Returning the bow with good grace herself. "How is it going with your throat? Has it healed well after that incident?"
Nozomi felt honored that she still remembered and yet she also found it somewhat unsettling as she preferred not to talk about it. "It is fine." Was the only thing she wanted to say about it.
"I'm sorry I only could get here now, back home was a bit of a mess and I couldn't leave them alone. So have there been any changes in her condition?"
To Nozomi, this was a question that she couldn't answer. She hadn't visited nor asked about it. "I don't know to be honest, I have only gotten to see her recently and I have been helping Yuka-san in the kitchen. If you want, I can go and call her for you?"
Mako nodded, it would be best if she could discuss this with Yuka instead. "That would be nice, would it be alright for me to already go upstairs and check on her?"
"I'm certain they wouldn't mind if it is for Saori-chan's sake, you do know which room you need to go to? I can show you the way first."
Mako chuckled at her being so over polite. It was refreshing after having talked to Kyou about her bad manners. "I do, I just hope it will not be anything serious. I will talk to both Kouta-kun and Yuka-san after I have examined her." Grabbing her case, she went up the stairs hoping that it would prove to be nothing serious but if it would keep her down for a week or so then it would hopefully enable her to do a little more examining of the device. If Saori was unconscious then it would make her work a lot easier as she didn't have to fear for either vectors or having the girl go screaming and thrashing around.
At the door entrance she was already greeted by Nana who seemed to be the one keeping an eye out. "Good day Takebe-san, have you come here to help her?"
"Yes Nana-san, how are you doing?" An honest question but one she asked out of curiosity rather than manners. It had been that way ever since she had gotten the information from Arakawa. She was concerned for all of these girls but there were two that got her particular attention, the little girl; although it somehow it felt odd calling her little when her body was more of the age of a young woman right here and her niece Saeko.
"Did Yuka-san give her the medicine I told her to? Have there been any changes in her condition afterwards?" Putting down the case, she kneeled down to have a better look. Her breathing still appeared to be heavy but it did not seem to be irregular anymore as Yuka had mentioned earlier. Letting her hand rest against one of her cheeks, she noticed that her temperature was still high even with the extra cooling offered by the compress.
"Nothing, Yuka-san gave her the medicine as you said and a cold compress to keep the fever down, but she hasn't woken up so far. Do you think it is that thing they planted on her head?"
"How long has she been like this now? For that matter, how long has it been since her previous seizure?"
"I'd say ever since Yuka-san called you on the phone, it started shortly before that according to what Saeko-chan told me. As for her last seizure, I don't know how long that has been, I'd rather not think of those."
Mako could fully understand that. The seizures that Saori had were not the most pleasant to witness and the side-effects of them were equally unpleasant and she had become rather hesitant about giving a firm answer if it was truly caused by the device or because her body was breaking down or even if it was a possible combination of the two.
It made it all the more difficult to treat the problem. "I don't know if it really is that device, it seems to be the obvious choice but I fear there is more that is causing this?"
Nana appeared genuinely confused by her saying that. "B-But what else could it be?"
She sighed at trying to come up with a suitable answer, would Nana be able to understand that because Saori was a clone there existed a real chance that mistakes could been made during her creation. The human body was such a finely tuned piece of art and it would take just a small flaw to have it shut down or fail to function like it should. Who could tell for certain that these clones were not born with defects, but without access to the late Nousou's research, there would be no way for her to be certain. But the rapid aging of Saori told her she was not like the other silpelits.
"For now, it seems like she is becoming stable though I cannot tell for certain when she will wake up, how long has it been since she was last numbed?"
"Yesterday," Nana mentioned as she got up from her place. "If it is alright with you then I would like to go downstairs. Would it be alright if Saeko-san were to come up and look after her again?"
"Sure, but she doesn't have to come right away. I want to do a few more checks on her." Mako nodded, somebody needed to stay and keep an eye on her but for the moment she could do that on her own and most likely she could get what she needed much quicker if she did not have to explain everything to Saeko.
"Okay then, oh when will the others arrive?" Nana made one last question, waiting at the door frame for the answer as she seemed anxious to meet them.
"Pretty soon I guess. I came earlier to have a check on her but I would not be surprised if they would be in the car right now. You really want to see your sisters again right?"
"Yes," Nana replied as she left and went down the stairs. It was likely she was going to spend her remaining time either at the door or with Mayu and her friend. The thought of these girls still referring to each other as sisters made Mako smile, it was an odd habit but one that seemed to be exercised by all diclonius. At least the ones they had rescued and even though they did not have any real link bonding them, it seemed they did consider themselves all to be part of one bigger family.
With that, she started on the examination, might as well get as much done as she could right now. Part of her started to wonder what other kind of options they may have left for treating Saori. There weren't all that many for them in the first place.
"You keep making trouble for us but I know that it isn't your fault." Leaning in closer she checked the device first and took photos. Another chance wasn't going to present itself so quick.
The tension in the air was notable to Ryou. Of course she had heard what had gone on between her sister and her father but even so she was convinced that they both needed to apologize to her sister more than her father. They shouldn't be fighting amongst other. They were a family right? Weren't they supposed to love and understand each other?
"O-Onee-chan… shouldn't you apologize to oto-san, he didn't deserve to get hit by your hands. Ota-san didn't mean to be rude, he only wanted to help you onee-chan as you always get dirty and you need the extra clothes…" She stopped at that as she could already see a hint of irritation her sister's eye.
"Not unless he does it first!" She growled in response. "He's the one who dared to touch my underwear! I don't want anybody touching my panties and bras! NOT EVEN OTO-SAN!"
Dai hit the brake as hard as he could, with the tires screeching the car finally came to a standstill.
"That does it young lady! I have had enough of your attitude! Didn't you listen to you mother when she explained it you? You always get yourself dirty no matter how many times we tell you and unlike your little sister you need the extra clothes and underwear and you always, no matter how many times we write it down, you always forget to bring them."
Ryou noticed that following that lecture, Kyou was gritting her teeth as she kept muttering things while her face was turning bright red though she expected this to be more because out of frustration rather than feeling sorry.
"Sorry…" she blurted as she folded her arms across her chest while she turned her head to look out of the window again. That was going to be it for now unless she was going to have a change of heart which was pretty rare after she made up her mind.
"O-Oto-san, she did not mean it like that," Ryou apologized for her sister instead but Dai made it clear that he would not have any of it. It was Kyou who was at fault here and not Ryou. "B-But onee-chan is…"
"No Ryou-chan, don't you apologize for something that is not your fault. You did nothing wrong here so you should not be the one making apologies." Dai sighed as he saw the tears in her eyes. "I am sorry if I scared you, I really am."
Swallowing his pride, he turned back to the steering wheel as he started the car again. "Kyou-chan I know that you are angry with me at the moment but please hear me out. I am deeply sorry if I disrespected your privacy, I only wanted to help you get ready in time. That is all."
As the car drove off again, he looked in his mirror. Still her eyes were fixated on the side of the road. "I don't expect an apology from you just yet and I won't force you this weekend but I would really appreciate if you would do it out of your own. You are my daughter and I love you from the bottom of my heart even if you are sometimes a giant pain in the ass Kyou-chan."
"O-O-Oto-san…" Kyou sobbed as she forced her eyes shut. "Sorry… oto-san…" she whispered trying not to let the others hear it. "I'm sorry…"
From where he was sitting, Dai could see it. He didn't need to hear her say the words, just that she had actually meant them which was all he wanted from her. She could be rash, rude and often spotted a bad mouth but her heart was definitely in the right place.
Opening the door, Nana bumped into Mei, almost knocking her to the ground though she was quick enough on her feet to avoid the collision. "Oh Mei-san, I'm sorry. I hadn't noticed you were already standing at the door."
Being this close to Nana's face, Mei was frozen as she tried to say anything but for some odd reason words could not come from her lips, both Mayu and Nana noticed that her face was becoming slightly red for all of a sudden.
"Nana-san, you need to be a bit careful," Mayu commented as she saw the two of them just standing there. She would have said more if Mei hadn't gotten in between them.
"It's okay Mayu-chan and besides it is not like she did on purpose." Mei blushed as she quickly said the words before turning to speak to Nana. "It is really nice to see you again Nana-chan, we are done with homework so would you like to keep us company while we go enjoy ourselves?"
"Ah sure," she replied though she didn't have the faintest idea on how they could go and enjoy themselves, was Mei perhaps talking about watching TV or something else. "But would it be okay if I could first go and look for Saeko-san, there is something that she needs to do."
They both nodded as Nana left the room again leaving the two of them alone for the moment.
"So Mei-san what do you want to do? I hope it won't be too long as I will likely need to go and help make everything ready for tomorrow. We are going to have a big yakiniku then."
"That is awesome Mayu-chan!" Mei cried with excitement as she heard that. "Please tell me it will be alright for me to come visit, oh please tell me it would be okay. Do you know how long it has been since I've had a barbeque with my family?"
"I don't know. I would have to ask Yuka-san and the others if it alright with them but I would certainly like it if you could be there as well. But you should ask your parents if it will be alright with them as well?"
"I will ask them but I doubt they could care enough about it anyway. Anyway, will you let me know about it tomorrow and would it be alright if I were to bring something extra with me?"
"I don't think that would be needed, Yuka-san has made sure that we have a lot extra just in case. I think we may even have far more food than we can eat anyway."
"I know," Mei remarked as she looked at the door, by now she had noticed along with Mayu the smell that was already coming from the kitchen. "But it doesn't sit right with me coming and not bringing along a present for you all."
"Well if you really want to offer a present then how about when you come tomorrow you help us in the kitchen with preparing the food. I still have to make plenty of onigiri and dangos for tomorrow, you can help if you want then?"
Both Mayu and Mei were taken by surprise by Yuka as she slid the door open; she had heard their little conversation.
"And it is fine by me if you want to come and visit us or even want to stay over. Just make sure you have permission from your parents Mei-chan." With that Yuka left as she returned to the kitchen to further continue with the preparations.
"Mayu-chan, you really have the coolest parents in the world. Did you hear what she said? I could even stay over if I wanted to, oh that is so cool. Really, your family is the coolest out of this entire city." Mei was starting to overflow with excitement now, there was no doubt that she was going to do her utmost best to convince her parents to let her come and even stay over for the night.
Mayu had to giggle at hearing her say that. She had never really envisaged her family as being cool or that Kouta and Yuka were awesome to have as parents. She just wanted them to be understanding and caring. That said, she had to admit that her family was not the most normal of families out there, but did that really matter as long as they loved her?
"Do you want me to walk you home? I need to take Wanta out for a walk anyway so I wouldn't mind and you wouldn't be alone then."
"I'd like that but won't it be bad for you to go back then on your own?"
"Mayu won't be on her own," Nana cheered as she appeared from around the corner. "I'll be going with you as well, that way we at least got to do something fun together right?"
They all started to giggle as they headed towards the front door. They would make sure they would get to spent some fun time together and even if for now it was just be this little walk home, they all knew the weekend had just started.
With the car pulling to a halt, Dai looked at the surroundings. He didn't need to, but in times like these, he still preferred it if as few people as possible got to see the girls. "Okay we will have to walk the last part from here, make sure you get everything, alright?"
Getting out of the car, the first thing Kyou did was put her shoes back on. Inside, she had taken them off as she preferred to keep them off. "Ah it feels good coming here, right Ryou-chan?"
"Hai, I can't wait to see how our other sisters are doing onee-chan. I hope we can play again like the last time."
"Forget playing, I want to go out shopping like we did then. Oh that was some real fun I had. Besides, I'm a girl and I do deserve to wear pretty clothes don't I? You can get cuter clothes than those." She pointed towards the skirt that Ryou was wearing. Compared to Kyou's, it was a bit more modest and longer but that suited her just fine.
"Eh, onee-chan how can you say that?"
"Oi, stop pestering your little sister about that. You know damn well that she prefers that style of clothes Kyou-chan and besides that you dress way too dangerous for a girl of your age. I don't want to see you with any of those short skirts you pointed at in the store and neither does your mother."
"Oto-san…" She mumbled. "You can be such a bore, besides isn't that my own choice if I want to wear such clothes. I have a pretty body so why shouldn't I be able to show it off?"
"Oh good god…" Dai sighed as he stopped pulling their suitcases from the car. "Not this again, not now Kyou-chan. We are not going to have that discussion here or during this weekend for that matter, just grab your cases and let's go, shall we?"
Grabbing her suitcase, Kyou looked at him again, her eyes staring back at his own. "Oto-san… can be such a bore… I want to have fun," She teased him again before turning on the spot and taking, not only the suitcase, but her sister as well in tow.
"Come on Ryou-chan we are going already. Oto-san seems to be fine with bringing the rest on his own, let's go upstairs and greets our other sisters."
"B-But onee-chan… w-we can't just lea-"
"Don't sweat it." Kyou waved her hand. "It will be fine. Besides, as really cute girls, it is only right that boys do what we want." In one swift move, she turned her head around and winked.
Author's note: Well people there you have it, the first 5 chapters of my new story posted for your entertainment. Rest assured that there will be a lot more coming in this story and I hope that you will join me for the ride.
Please leave a review or comment as it would mean a lot to me, favs and subs are as always appreciated. I don't know when I will be able to get to update this story again but I hope that it will be soon and that updates can come on a regular basis.
Take care.